Shane Warne admits he was wrong about Paul Collingwood

Four years ago, former Australian spinner Shane Warne had mocked England all-rounder Paul Collingwood. Now, he is one of his biggest fans.

In 2006-07, Warne taunted Collingwood for accepting an MBE alongside the other victorious England players following the epic 2005 win over Australia on home soil.

Collingwood only played in one Test, scoring seven and 10, and Warne repeatedly urged Collingwood to throw the Queen’s honour back over the Buckingham Palace fence.

But now, Warne has paid tribute to Collingwood’s fighting qualities as England’s new Twenty20 skipper.

“Colly imparts his tough attitude to the England team. England are a better side than some people think with a good, tough cricketer in Collingwood as captain,” the Daily Express quoted Warne, as saying.

“I wanted him to give back his MBE, but now he’s up there with the best of them in limited-overs cricket these days,” he added.